Coating equipment sample pedestal capable of being used for scanning electron microscope

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of scanning electron microscope corollary equipment, and provides a coating equipment sample pedestal capable of being used for a scanning electron microscope, the coating equipment sample pedestal comprises a base, a swing assembly and a turntable, the base is used for being arranged in coating equipment; the swing assembly is pivoted to the base in the first circumferential direction. The turntable is rotatably arranged on the swing assembly along a second circumferential direction, the swing assembly is driven to rotate to drive the turntable to rotate along a first circumferential direction, a plane formed in the first circumferential direction is perpendicular to a plane formed in the second circumferential direction, and the surface, deviating from the swing assembly, of the turntable forms a supporting surface and is used for supporting the sample table. By arranging the swing assembly and the turntable, the sample table can be driven to respectively rotate along the first circumferential direction and the second circumferential direction in the coating process, so that the distance between the side surface of a sample and a target electrode is reduced, and the condition that a target material is only deposited on the upper surface of the sample in a concentrated manner is avoided; the conductivity of the whole sample is good, and the imaging quality is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipment technology, and more particularly to a sample stage for a coating equipment that can be used in a SEM. Background Technology

[0002] Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are large, precision instruments used for high-resolution micro-area morphology analysis. They have the advantages of being able to analyze a wide variety of samples, causing almost no damage or contamination to the original sample, and simultaneously obtaining information on morphology, structure, and composition. They have been widely used in materials science, life sciences, earth sciences, and industrial production.

[0003] In practice, coating the surface of non-conductive material samples with a film (such as sputtering with gold, platinum, or carbon) can significantly improve the conductivity of the samples, prevent the accumulation of surface electrons or free particles during electron beam scanning, avoid charging and discharging phenomena, reduce the charge effect, prevent high-energy electron beams from damaging the samples, and effectively improve the contrast and resolution of scanning electron microscope images, making the images clearer.

[0004] Currently, the coating equipment used in scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) mainly includes sputtering coating machines and high-vacuum evaporation coating machines. These devices can deposit a conductive thin film on the surface of SEM samples, improving the conductivity of the samples. However, the sample stage of existing coating equipment is a fixed plane that cannot be rotated or tilted. During the coating process, the upper surface of the sample is always closest to the target electrode, resulting in the target material being deposited almost entirely on the upper surface of the sample. This leads to ineffective deposition on the sides of the sample, resulting in poor local conductivity and thus affecting the imaging quality. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide a sample stage for a coating device that can be used in a scanning electron microscope, in order to solve the disadvantage that the sample stage of the existing coating device for a scanning electron microscope cannot be rotated at multiple angles.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this application to solve the technical problem is as follows: A sample stage for a coating equipment that can be used in a scanning electron microscope includes: a base, wherein the base is used to be set inside the coating equipment;

[0007] A swing assembly, which is pivotally mounted on the base along a first circumferential direction;

[0008] A turntable is rotatably mounted on the swing assembly along a second circumferential direction. The swing assembly is driven to rotate so as to drive the turntable to rotate along a first circumferential direction. The plane formed by the first circumferential direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the second circumferential direction. The surface of the turntable facing away from the swing assembly forms a support surface and is used to support the sample stage.

[0009] Furthermore, the inclination of the supporting surface is no greater than 45 degrees.

[0010] Furthermore, the sample stage of the coating equipment also includes a sample stage fixing hole, which is disposed on the support surface and is used to fix the sample stage.

[0011] Furthermore, the ratio of the angle at which the turntable rotates along the second circumferential direction to the angle at which the turntable rotates along the first circumferential direction per unit time is not less than 8.

[0012] Furthermore, the swing assembly includes: a body portion, one end of which is pivotally connected to the base and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the turntable;

[0013] A fixed gear, which is fixedly connected to the base, and the teeth of the fixed gear are arranged along the first circumferential direction;

[0014] A drive wheel is rotatably mounted on the main body. The drive wheel meshes with the fixed gear. The drive wheel is driven to rotate around the fixed gear, thereby causing the main body to rotate in the first circumferential direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the swing assembly also includes a driven wheel, which is rotatably mounted on the main body and fixedly connected to the turntable in a second circumferential direction. The driven wheel meshes with the driving wheel, and is driven to rotate by the driving wheel to drive the turntable to rotate in the second circumferential direction.

[0016] Furthermore, the swing assembly also includes a speed-changing gear, which is rotatably mounted on the main body. The driven wheel is connected to the driving wheel via the speed-changing gear, and the speed-changing gear is used to adjust the transmission ratio between the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0017] Furthermore, the sample stage of the coating equipment also includes a motor, which is mounted on the main body and connected to the drive wheel;

[0018] A drive board is disposed on the main body and electrically connected to the motor.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, this utility model, by setting up a swing component and a turntable, can drive the sample stage to rotate along the first and second circumferential directions respectively during the coating process, thereby reducing the distance between the side of the sample and the target electrode, avoiding the target material being concentrated only on the upper surface of the sample. Since the side of the sample can be effectively deposited, the overall conductivity of the sample is good, effectively improving the imaging quality. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the sample stage of the coating equipment that can be used for scanning electron microscopes provided in this embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the sample stage of the coating equipment that can be used for scanning electron microscopes provided in this embodiment;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a sample stage for a coating apparatus that can be used with a scanning electron microscope, provided in another embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of a sample stage (with the support surface tilted) for a coating apparatus that can be used with a scanning electron microscope, provided in another embodiment.

[0025] In the diagram: 100, base; 200, swing assembly; 210, main body; 220, fixed gear; 230, driving wheel; 240, driven wheel; 250, speed-changing gear; 260, motor; 300, turntable; 310, sample stage fixing hole; 410, first circumferential direction; 420, second circumferential direction. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0027] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described above can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0030] This utility model provides, for example Figures 1 to 4 The diagram shows a sample stage for a coating apparatus that can be used with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), designed to address the limitation of existing coating apparatuses for SEMs that cannot rotate at multiple angles.

[0031] It should be noted that the coating in this application refers to depositing a thin film on the sample surface, including but not limited to processes such as gold sputtering, platinum sputtering, or carbon sputtering. The coating equipment in this application mainly includes sputtering coating machines and high vacuum evaporation coating machines.

[0032] The sample stage of the coating equipment that can be used for scanning electron microscopes mainly includes: a base 100, a swing assembly 200, and a turntable 300.

[0033] The base 100 is used to be installed inside the coating equipment. The oscillating assembly 200 is pivotally mounted on the base 100 along the first circumferential direction 410, and the turntable 300 is rotatably mounted on the oscillating assembly 200 along the second circumferential direction 420. The oscillating assembly 200 is driven to rotate, thereby causing the turntable 300 to rotate along the first circumferential direction 410. The plane formed by the first circumferential direction 410 is perpendicular to the plane formed by the second circumferential direction 420. The surface of the turntable 300 facing away from the oscillating assembly 200 forms a support surface and is used to support the sample stage.

[0034] Specifically, the sample stage of the coating equipment is used to set inside the coating equipment and to fix the sample stage, so that the sample stage (not shown in the figure, which is set on the support surface and moves synchronously with the turntable 300) can rotate inside the coating equipment along the first circumferential direction 410 and the second circumferential direction 420 respectively.

[0035] In practical use, such as 1 to Figure 3 As shown, when the turntable 300 rotates along the first circumferential direction 410, it can drive the sample to tilt forward or backward as shown in the figure. It is understood that the gold sputtering source (target electrode) of the coating equipment is usually fixed at a specific position inside the coating equipment (generally above the sample), causing metal atoms to concentrate and deposit above the sample. By tilting the sample forward or backward as shown in the figure, the distance between the front and rear surfaces of the sample and the gold sputtering source (target electrode) can be reduced (simultaneously achieving the effect of adjusting the direction of gold sputtering), thus making it easier for metal atoms (or other conductive atoms) to deposit on the front and rear surfaces of the sample. When the turntable 300 rotates along the second circumferential direction 420, it can drive the sample to rotate in the horizontal direction as shown in the figure, causing other parts of the sample's side to form "front and rear surfaces" respectively, thus making it easier for metal atoms (or other conductive atoms) to deposit on the "front and rear surfaces" of the sample. After the turntable 300 rotates once from the second circumference to the 420-degree circumference, the sides of the sample have reached the front and back of the sample to form the "front surface and back surface". This makes it easier for metal atoms (or other conductive atoms) to be deposited on the entire side of the sample, resulting in good overall conductivity of the sample and effectively improving imaging quality.

[0036] Preferably, the turntable 300 can be rotated at a certain angle (e.g., a 5-degree tilt) along the second circumference 420° for 10 seconds, then rotated in the opposite direction at a certain angle (e.g., a 5-degree tilt) for 10 seconds, repeating this process during the coating process. Alternatively, the turntable 300 can be driven to rotate back and forth along the second circumference 420° without stopping, while simultaneously rotating 300° at a certain speed, thereby ensuring that the sample on the sample stage fixed on it receives uniform coating treatment. This method is convenient to use and highly versatile.

[0037] Currently, the coating equipment used in scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) mainly includes sputtering coating machines and high-vacuum evaporation coating machines. These devices can deposit a conductive thin film on the surface of SEM samples, improving the conductivity of the samples. However, the sample stage of existing coating equipment is a fixed plane that cannot be rotated or tilted. During the coating process, the upper surface of the sample is always closest to the target electrode, resulting in the target material being deposited almost entirely on the upper surface of the sample. This leads to ineffective deposition on the sides of the sample, resulting in poor local conductivity and thus affecting the imaging quality.

[0038] This invention, by setting up a swing component 200 and a turntable 300, can drive the sample stage to rotate along the first circumferential direction 410 and the second circumferential direction 420 respectively during the coating process, thereby reducing the distance between the side of the sample and the target electrode, avoiding the target material being concentrated only on the upper surface of the sample. Since the side of the sample can be effectively deposited, the overall conductivity of the sample is good, effectively improving the imaging quality.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the inclination of the support surface is no greater than 45 degrees.

[0040] Specifically, the inclination of the support surface is between -45 degrees and +45 degrees, and can be adjusted according to actual needs. The maximum inclination of the support surface is preferably 45 degrees, which can effectively expose the side of the sample and prevent the sample from easily falling off the sample stage.

[0041] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the sample stage of the coating equipment also includes a sample stage fixing hole 310, which is disposed on the support surface and is used to fix the sample stage.

[0042] Specifically, the sample stage fixing holes 310 are provided with several holes. In actual use, several sample stages can be fixed in the sample stage fixing holes 310 to support several samples for coating. The sample stage fixing holes 310 are preferably bolt holes of various sizes to match sample stages of different sizes and models available on the market.

[0043] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the ratio of the angle at which the turntable 300 rotates along the second circumferential direction 420 per unit time to the angle at which the turntable 300 rotates along the first circumferential direction 410 is not less than 8.

[0044] Specifically, when driving the sample to tilt forward or backward, in order to effectively expose the side of the sample, the sample needs to rotate 360 ​​degrees to expose the entire side. Therefore, when driving the sample to tilt forward or backward by no more than 45 degrees, the ratio of the angle of rotation of the turntable 300 along the second circumferential direction 420 to the angle of rotation of the turntable 300 along the first circumferential direction 410 needs to be no less than 8 to achieve this effect.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the swing assembly 200 includes: a body part 210, one end of which is pivotally connected to the base 100 and the other end is rotatably connected to the turntable 300;

[0046] Fixed gear 220 is fixedly connected to base 100, and the teeth of fixed gear 220 are set along the first circumferential direction 410.

[0047] The driving wheel 230 is rotatably mounted on the main body 210. The driving wheel 230 meshes with the fixed gear 220. The driving wheel 230 is driven to rotate around the fixed gear 220, thereby driving the main body 210 to rotate along the first circumferential direction 410.

[0048] In practical use, the forward or backward tilting action of the sample can be achieved by driving the drive wheel 230 to rotate. Preferably, as follows... Figures 2 to 3 As shown, the main body 210 has a cavity, and a fixed gear 220 is disposed within the cavity. The fixed gear 220 is fixedly connected to a fixed shaft that passes through the cavity and is fixedly connected to the base 100. Therefore, the main body 210 can rotate around the fixed shaft. The drive wheel 230 is rotatably disposed within the cavity and meshes with the fixed gear 220. Therefore, when the drive wheel 230 rotates, since the fixed gear 220 cannot rotate, the drive wheel 230 rotates on its own axis while also rotating around the fixed gear 220 (first circumferential direction 410). Since the drive wheel 230 is rotatably connected to the main body 210, the part of the main body 210 connected to the drive wheel 230 will rotate around the fixed gear 220 (first circumferential direction 410). Therefore, by driving the drive wheel 230 to rotate, the main body 210 can be driven to rotate around the first circumferential direction 410 around the fixed shaft, thereby achieving the effect of driving the sample to rotate around the first circumferential direction 410.

[0049] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the swing assembly 200 further includes a driven wheel 240, which is rotatably mounted on the main body 210 along the second circumferential direction 420 and fixedly connected to the turntable 300. The driven wheel 240 meshes with the driving wheel 230, and the driven wheel 240 is driven by the driving wheel 230 to rotate, thereby driving the turntable 300 to rotate along the second circumferential direction 420.

[0050] Specifically, such as Figures 3 to 4As shown, the rotation directions of the driving wheel 230 and the driven wheel 240 are not on the same horizontal plane. Therefore, the driven wheel 240 can be set as a first bevel gear, while the driving wheel 230 can be a second bevel gear with the rotation direction on the same horizontal plane. The first bevel gear meshes with the second bevel gear, and the first bevel gear is indirectly driven to rotate by driving the second bevel gear to rotate. This achieves the effect of driving only one driving wheel 230 to drive the sample to rotate simultaneously along the first circumferential direction 410 and the second circumferential direction 420, without the need to set up two separate driving devices to drive the sample to rotate along the first circumferential direction 410 and the second circumferential direction 420, thus saving costs.

[0051] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the swing assembly 200 also includes a speed-changing gear 250, which is rotatably mounted on the main body 210. The driven wheel 240 is connected to the driving wheel 230 via the speed-changing gear 250. The speed-changing gear 250 is used to adjust the transmission ratio between the driving wheel 230 and the driven wheel 240.

[0052] Specifically, by setting the speed change gear 250, the ratio of the angle at which the turntable 300 rotates along the second circumferential direction 420 to the angle at which the turntable 300 rotates along the first circumferential direction 410 can be adjusted.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the sample stage of the coating equipment also includes a motor 260, which is mounted on the main body 210 and connected to the drive wheel 230.

[0054] The drive board is mounted on the main body 210 and electrically connected to the motor 260.

[0055] Specifically, this device can be directly placed inside a coating equipment via a built-in driver board. It should be noted that if this application needs to be directly integrated into the coating equipment, it can be powered by the internal circuitry of the coating equipment or by a battery; all of the above embodiments are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0056] In summary, a sample stage for a coating apparatus used in scanning electron microscopy is provided, comprising a base, a swing assembly, and a turntable. The base is disposed within the coating apparatus. The swing assembly is pivotally mounted on the base along a first circumferential direction. The turntable is rotatably mounted on the swing assembly along a second circumferential direction. The swing assembly is driven to rotate, thereby causing the turntable to rotate along the first circumferential direction. The plane formed by the first circumferential direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the second circumferential direction. The surface of the turntable facing away from the swing assembly forms a support surface for supporting the sample stage. This invention, by setting up the swing assembly and the turntable, can drive the sample stage to rotate along the first and second circumferential directions respectively during the coating process, thereby reducing the distance between the sample side and the target electrode. This avoids the target material being concentrated only on the upper surface of the sample. Because the sample side can be effectively deposited, the overall conductivity of the sample is good, effectively improving the imaging quality.

[0057] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A sample stage for a coating apparatus that can be used in a scanning electron microscope, characterized in that, include: A base for mounting inside a coating equipment; A swing assembly, which is pivotally mounted on the base along a first circumferential direction; A turntable is rotatably mounted on the swing assembly along a second circumferential direction. The swing assembly is driven to rotate so as to drive the turntable to rotate along a first circumferential direction. The plane formed by the first circumferential direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the second circumferential direction. The surface of the turntable facing away from the swing assembly forms a support surface and is used to support the sample stage.

2. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inclination of the supporting surface is no greater than 45 degrees.

3. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sample stage of the coating equipment further includes a sample stage fixing hole, which is disposed on the support surface and is used to fix the sample stage.

4. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The ratio of the angle at which the turntable rotates along the second circumferential direction to the angle at which the turntable rotates along the first circumferential direction per unit time is not less than 8.

5. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 4, characterized in that, The swing assembly includes: a body part, one end of which is pivotally connected to the base and the other end is rotatably connected to the turntable; A fixed gear, which is fixedly connected to the base, and the teeth of the fixed gear are arranged along the first circumferential direction; A drive wheel is rotatably mounted on the main body. The drive wheel meshes with the fixed gear. The drive wheel is driven to rotate around the fixed gear, thereby causing the main body to rotate in the first circumferential direction.

6. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 5, characterized in that, The swing assembly further includes a driven wheel, which is rotatably mounted on the main body and fixedly connected to the turntable in a second circumferential direction. The driven wheel meshes with the driving wheel and is driven to rotate by the driving wheel, thereby causing the turntable to rotate in a second circumferential direction.

7. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 6, characterized in that, The swing assembly further includes a speed-changing gear, which is rotatably mounted on the main body. The driven wheel is connected to the driving wheel via the speed-changing gear, and the speed-changing gear is used to adjust the transmission ratio between the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

8. The sample stage for a coating apparatus for scanning electron microscopes according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sample stage of the coating equipment also includes a motor, which is mounted on the main body and connected to the drive wheel; A drive board is disposed on the main body and electrically connected to the motor.

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